The best sic bo strategy is choosing the right bets. Big/Small and Odd/Even carry a 2.78% house edge, which works out to about $2.78 lost per $100 wagered over time. A two-dice combination bet costs the same only when the table pays 6:1. Every other bet on the layout costs more, and no betting system changes the price of a roll.
Once the chips are down, sic bo has no decisions left. Your bet choice and your stake size are the whole game. Every edge on this page is our own count of the 216 equally likely results of three fair dice. The layout and how each bet settles are in our sic bo rules guide.
Sic bo strategy: Big/Small vs combination bets compared
Big/Small is the default bet. A two-dice combination at 6:1 has the same long-run cost, with bigger wins that come less often. At 5:1 the same combination costs six times as much.
| Big or Small | Two-dice combination | |
|---|---|---|
| Wins when | Total is 11–17 (Big) or 4–10 (Small), and the roll is not a triple | Both chosen numbers show, e.g. a 3 and a 5 |
| Winning results | 105 of 216 (48.61%) | 30 of 216 (13.89%, about 1 roll in 7) |
| Payout | 1:1 | 6:1 or 5:1, depending on the table |
| House edge | 2.78% | 2.78% at 6:1; 16.67% at 5:1 |
| Average loss, 100 bets of $5 | $13.89 | $13.89 at 6:1; $83.33 at 5:1 |
| Usual range around that average | about ±$50 | about ±$121 at 6:1 |
Edges are our counts across all 216 outcomes. "Usual range" is one standard deviation, so results land inside it in roughly two sessions out of three.
The true odds against a combination are 186 to 30, or 6.2 to 1. A 6:1 payout sits just under those odds, and a 5:1 payout sits well under them.
- Big/Small or Odd/Even gives you the most rolls per dollar and the smallest swings. On Big, a run of six or more straight losses starts about once every 110 rounds, and a 50-unit bankroll can absorb that.
- A 6:1 combination suits players who want bigger single wins at the same price. Expect about six losing rolls for each win, and a bankroll that swings more than twice as much.
- A 5:1 combination costs six times as much as Big/Small. If the table pays 5:1, skip the bet.
Sic bo payouts and house edge by bet
Payouts differ between tables, and the payout decides the edge. Some rows list several payouts because different tables use different versions. The edges follow in the same order. Check the paytable in the game's help screen before your first bet.
| Bet | Winning results (of 216) | Chance | Payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big or Small | 105 | 48.61% | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Odd or Even | 105 | 48.61% | 1:1 | 2.78% |
| Two-dice combination | 30 | 13.89% | 6:1 / 5:1 | 2.78% / 16.67% |
| Single number (1–6) | 91 | 42.13% | 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1 by matches | 7.87% |
| Total 4 or 17 | 3 | 1.39% | 62:1 / 60:1 / 50:1 | 12.50% / 15.28% / 29.17% |
| Total 5 or 16 | 6 | 2.78% | 31:1 / 30:1 / 18:1 | 11.11% / 13.89% / 47.22% |
| Total 6 or 15 | 10 | 4.63% | 18:1 / 17:1 / 14:1 | 12.04% / 16.67% / 30.56% |
| Total 7 or 14 | 15 | 6.94% | 12:1 | 9.72% |
| Total 8 or 13 | 21 | 9.72% | 8:1 | 12.50% |
| Total 9 or 12 | 25 | 11.57% | 7:1 / 6:1 | 7.41% / 18.98% |
| Total 10 or 11 | 27 | 12.50% | 6:1 | 12.50% |
| Specific double | 16 | 7.41% | 11:1 / 10:1 / 8:1 | 11.11% / 18.52% / 33.33% |
| Any triple | 6 | 2.78% | 31:1 / 30:1 / 24:1 | 11.11% / 13.89% / 30.56% |
| Specific triple | 1 | 0.46% | 180:1 / 150:1 | 16.20% / 30.09% |
Edges are our own derivations: the total return for each payout across the 216 equally likely outcomes of three fair dice. The total and double counts include any triple that fits. Big/Small and Odd/Even lose to every triple.
Sic bo bets worth skipping, and what each costs
Single numbers look like a sensible middle choice. They win on 91 of 216 rolls (42.13%) and pay extra when your number shows twice or three times. Those bonuses do not make up for the 125 rolls where your number misses.
Single-number house-edge calculation: per $1 staked, one match (75 of 216 outcomes) returns $2, two matches (15 outcomes) return $3 and three matches (1 outcome) return $4. That is $199 back for every $216 staked. The return is 92.13%, which makes the edge 7.87%, nearly three times the edge on Big/Small.
The rest of the layout costs more again:
- Totals: the cheapest is 9 or 12 at 7:1 (7.41%). At 6:1 the same bet costs 18.98%. The rare totals do not pay more generously. Totals of 4, 5, 16 and 17 cost at least 11.11%, and as much as 47.22% at their worst payouts.
- Specific doubles: 11.11% at 11:1, rising to 33.33% at 8:1.
- Any triple: 11.11% at 31:1 and 30.56% at 24:1.
- Specific triple: 16.20% at 180:1 and 30.09% at 150:1. On average it wins once every 216 rolls.
How the casino keeps its edge in sic bo
The edge on Big/Small comes entirely from triples. Without them, totals of 4–10 and 11–17 would split the 216 outcomes evenly, 108 each. The six triples beat both sides, and one turns up about once every 36 rolls. That leaves each side with 105 wins instead of 108. Odd/Even works the same way.
Nothing a player does changes those counts:
- Results boards: the history grid next to the table shows past rolls. Fair dice have no memory, so seven Smalls in a row tell you nothing about the eighth roll. The baccarat streaks guide explains why streaks feel meaningful when they are not.
- Chasing a "due" result: raising your stake after a streak only puts more money against the same 2.78% edge.
- Progressions: raising and lowering stakes changes the order of your wins and losses. It does not change the price of each bet.
Is the Martingale system profitable?
No. Martingale doubles the stake after every loss, so that one win recovers all the losses plus the first stake. Here is how a $5 Martingale on Big works:
- Seven straight losses cost $5 + $10 + $20 + $40 + $80 + $160 + $320 = $635.
- The eighth bet has to be $640 to win back the $635 plus the original $5.
- Seven straight losses happen in about 1 series out of 106, because (111/216)⁷ ≈ 0.95%.
Over about 106 series, the system collects around $525 in $5 wins. It then loses $635 in the one series where a $640 bet is above the table limit or more than your bankroll. The edge on each bet never moves. Only the timing of the losses changes. Our Martingale breakdown for roulette works through the same arithmetic.
Bankroll sizing for a Big/Small sic bo session
Sic bo gives you no decisions to make, so the only things you control are your bet choice and your stake size. For a Big/Small or Odd/Even session:
- Bet flat units of 1–2% of your session bankroll, which gives you 50 to 100 units. The baccarat bankroll framework applies unchanged, because both games are built on near coin-flip bets.
- Know what a stretch of play costs. At 2.78%, 60 bets of $5 lose about $8.33 on average.
- Decide on any long-shot chips before the session starts, and count them as a fixed cost.
- On multiplier tables and other variants, read the published return to player (RTP) for the bet you plan to use. An RTP of 97.22% matches the standard 2.78% edge, and any lower figure costs more. Our sic bo variants guide compares those tables.
Other sic bo strategy questions
Is there a winning sic bo strategy?
No. Every bet on the paytables above has a negative average return. The strategy that helps is losing less per bet: stick to 2.78% bets, keep stakes flat and set a session budget.
Is baccarat cheaper than sic bo?
Yes, if you compare each game's best bet. Baccarat Banker costs about 1.06%, while sic bo's cheapest bets cost 2.78%. We work out the Banker figure in Banker vs Player vs Tie. Sic bo offers bigger long-shot payouts, but on price alone Banker is cheaper.
Do sic bo prediction apps work?
No. A fair roll has no link to earlier results, whether it comes from physical dice or a properly working random number generator. An app that studies the history has no information about the next roll.
For the full layout and how every bet settles, see How to Play Sic Bo: Rules, Bets and the Edge on Each.